Sunday, May 3, 2009

At the behest of a friend who asked (well, pretty much DEMANDED) I do this, I have decided to begin re-doing The Atlantis Chronicles trilogy in a graphic novel format. Specifically as a webcomic, a route which I hope may generate some actual revenue while I am in the process of completion rather than waiting until the whole thing's done to hear whether I can land a publisher or not.

This isn't to say it's going to be easy. I have to A) acquire Photoshop, a $600 program, on less than $1000 per month income, B) learn said software pretty much from scratch, and C) begin a process that can take anywhere from seven to ten hours of work PER PAGE (and that's just the penciling and ink; I don't know if it even covers the coloring), by my lonesome. Daunting to be sure, but if I can pull it off, Lord willing, I may just strike gold on this one.

As I work on the new webcomic I'll also try to simultaneously finish and publish the third of my trilogy, Jihad: War of the Jao Kraxim, in novel form. That's a lot of drawing and writing, but again, if I can stay focused and disciplined, the payoff could be huge. I'll drop in here from time to time as the webcomic's launch approaches to update you on how things are coming. Until next time,

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Thanks to my friend and fellow aspiring author Kyle Langlois for talking me into starting my own blog page. I guess it was about time I got around to it!

This blog is dedicated to my writings, particularly my trilogy of novels entitled The Atlantis Chronicles. After planning to "someday" write the series for over two decades, it took being put onto my back and on Disability for a time to actually push me into getting started. It's taught me not only that you should never give up on your dreams, but that you should pursue them with vigor while there is still time. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

I wish to state up front that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I have failed Him more times than I could begin to count since that May night in 1978 when I bowed my head between my parents at our couch after family devotions at seven years old. But true to His promise, He has never left me nor forsaken me, despite my worst sins and my darkest storms. Without Him I would have no future in Heaven and no reason for any joy whatsoever.

As I've grown older, I've seen a lot of changes in the world around me. Things that were named as sin and wrong twenty years ago are now paraded openly, while anyone who takes a stand for Christ or even righteousness and moral purity in general is ridiculed or even vilified. Where once it was possible to share the Gospel openly with the lost in our nation, now there is the very real risk of losing that privilege altogether. America used to be a stronghold for the Gospel of Christ, but indeed there are now Christian missionaries coming to the United States from none other than China. Talk about role reversal!

Enter the premise of "The Star Hunters", the first of my trilogy. How would a Christian nation be received in today's ecumenical, secularly-minded society? Well, let's just say that Atlantis, as it is described in my books, has very good reason to have remained hidden from the outside world. Indeed I do realize that the term "Christian nation" has never truly been accurate in describing any country on Earth at any time, and sadly this includes America. That is not to say that the Gospel did not flourish here at one time in our history, but rather that a lot of things have gone on that in no way are reflective of Christ's character. Our nation's history is one stained with the blood of the powerless; from slavery to the treatment of the American Indian, from the horrible sweatshop conditions that birthed our nation's role as a leader in industry to the murder of over fifty million unborn babies and counting, we have been poor stewards of the abundant blessings God has given us, to say the least. And despite the fact that true Christians weren't involved in any of this, we are often blamed for "holding our society back", labeled as backward or as bigots for standing against immorality such as homosexuality and abortion, and I fear the day is approaching when such things will become outright persecution. America's not above such things, folks. History bears this out.

The events of The Atlantis Chronicles happen in the near future, somewhere in the early to mid-2010s. America has withdrawn largely to its own borders militarily, and the economy is in shambles, the result of greed turning upon itself. The world is living in fear, and criminal and terrorist organizations run rampant and largely unchecked.

One of these organizations is called PLAGUE. A supposedly relatively small paramilitary group, they are in fact the front for the worldwide military presence of an ancient empire named Zentonia. Zentonia's cultural and religious heritage goes back nearly four thousand years, when they were still a part of the Atlantean Empire. What caused a rift between the two sides, one which led to all-out war for centuries, was Zentonia's following of a derivative of ancient Baal worship called the Cult of Neptus, also referred to as Technotheology. The practice of sacrificing children to demonic idols was something Atlantis could simply not abide, especially after becoming Christianized in 326 AD. Given the fact the Zentonians spread their practices wherever their sphere of influence reached, as well as the fact they seek eventual global domination, Atlantis has waged a secret war against them for nearly their entire existence, striving to curtail their cultural and technological influence from being spread to the outside world. Millions of lives have been lost on both sides, and what once was a war of religious differences is now just as much of a blood feud.

That is where the events of The Atlantis Chronicles pick up. As time goes on I will share more about this world and its characters with you, and begin a journey that I hope will culminate in the release of my trilogy as a graphic novelization. From there, who knows? But for now sit back and enjoy the ride, and thanks for reading.

Link to "The Star Hunters" on Lulu.com

Link to "The Paladin and the Dragon" on Lulu.com

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my blog! "The Atlantis Chronicles" is a labor of love I have worked on in some form or another for over two decades. It is a Christian science-fiction military adventure set in the early to mid-2010s, and centers mostly on the men of a small elite international commando unit who find themselves embroiled in a secret war between the Christian nation of Atlantis and its dark offshoot, the Empire of Zentonia. Full of action and adventure, the series' core premise is how a Christian nation (indeed, even a Christian individual) can find themselves confronted by hatred and suspicion from a mostly secular world. This will be where topics related to the series as well as my other writings can be discussed. Thanks for reading and God bless!

Aaron Marshall

Aaron Marshall

About Me

Born in late December 1970. I asked Jesus into my heart at age seven, and it is the defining point of my life. I began to want to write for a living as far back as grade school, and though I've yet to support myself this way I stand by the motto "Never give up on your dreams!" I've published two Christian sci-fi novels, "The Star Hunters" and "The Paladin and the Dragon", and am starting my third book, the last in "The Atlantis Chronicles" trilogy.